We are eradicating polio: Minister

THE intensive polio vaccination blitz that took place last week will help Zimbabwe to eradicate the dangerous disease, a Cabinet minister has said.

Zimbabwe embarked on the fourth and final phase of its national polio vaccination campaign from last Tuesday to Friday, targeting 2, 6 million children below the age of five.

The first round vaccination took place from October 27 to 30, 2022. The second round was conducted from December 1 to 4 last year, while the third one took place from May 23 to 26 this year.

Last week’s vaccination blitz was conducted through door-to-door visits and at strategic centres such as bus terminuses, growth points, clinics and hospitals across the country.

Speaking to this publication last week, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said polio can cause paralysis and death among children.

“Vaccination campaigns contribute to commitments towards global eradication targets. For the record, no polio case has been reported in Zimbabwe, which underscores the need to intensify these collaborative polio response activities.

“Vaccination is our primary strategy to mitigate potential importation of the disease into the country,” he said.

Public health expert and University of Zimbabwe lecturer Dr Johannes Marisa commended Government for expeditiously rolling out the vaccination campaigns.

“We eradicate a disease when there is an intensive vaccination. For example, we have eradicated smallpox and they are no longer in this world. Polio is one disease which has the potential to be eradicated because we now see very few and rare cases. In a few years to come, we will not record any case of polio in the world.

Polio is a viral disease that can be prevented through vaccination but has no cure. The virus invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis within hours, particularly among children under five years of age.